Improvement in hay-elevating forks



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

ELIAS WV. SEYMOUR, CENTER LISLE, AND GEO. W. GREGORY, OF BING- HAMTON, Y., ASSIGNORS TO SAID GEORGE GREGORY.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAY-ELEVATING FORKS.-

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,872, dated June 1863.

To all whom it may concern,

Beitknown thatwe. ELIAS W. SEYMoUn,of Center Lisle, and GEORGE W. GREGORY, of Binghamton, both ol' the-county of Broome and State ot' New York, have invented a new and Improved Mode of Constructing1 Hay-Elevating Forks, known as the Revolving Ele- Vating llay-[iorkg77 and We do hereby declare that the. following is a full and exact description thereof.

To enable others skilled' in the art to make and vuse our invention, we will proceed to describe its construction and operation, refer- 'ence being had to the annexed drawings.

We take a piece ot' hard wood for the head A, about two feet long, three by three, and turn agroove, B, around the center of said head, about two inches wide and one-quarter of an inch deep, for the purpose of receiving a piece ot' band-iron of a corresponding size with said groove, for the purpose ot' attaching the head of the fork to the handle O. We then bore the holes in said head for the purpose ot' receiving the tiues D`. Said tines are made of either round or square iron or steehabout sixteen inches long by ve-eighths thick, and can also be made either crooked orstraight tines. We then take a stick about two feet long and form the handle U, fitting the lower end to the groove in the center ofthe head. Ve then take a. piece of band-iron of the size to lit the groove in the head of the fork,and ot'- sucien't length to extend around the head and up both sides ofthe handle--say six .inches on each side-and clasp it around the head in said groove, and secure it to the handle by bolts or screws, which when so secured forms the band or box in which the said fork revolves. We then tit a. piece ot' iron or wood to the front part ot' the head, which receives the two center tines, and extends around the front part of the head and up in front of the handle-- say six incheswhich iron or wood forms both a brace 4and the latch E, which prevents the n fork from revolving when loaded for elevation. We then mortise-a hole in the handle directly over the top of the latch, for the purpose of` fastening a lever-spring catch, which leverspring catch F drops over the top of the latch and rinly secures the same. We then attach to the lever part of said spring-catch a cord, which passes down the back side of the forkhandle, by means of which the fork is relieved from its load when required. We then takea piece of rope, G, about tive feet long and attach each end either to the upper corners of the latch or brace E, or to the ring-staples J J, which is putin the front partot' the head near the two outer tines. When the said rope Gis attached to the brace E it is extended up the front part ot' thefork-handle to within one inch ofthe staple H, which is put in the front part ot' the fork-handle, near the top, through which the hoisting-rope passes down, and is fastened to the center ot' said rope G, by which means the fork is kept in its position to retain its load. The said rope G, when attached to the latch or brace E, or to the head of the fork by any other device at a given point above the head, formsa double brace when acted on by the hoisting-rope. When said rope G is attached to thering-staples JJ it must be'passed around the back part ot' the head, and then up the front part ot' the handle to receive the hoisting-rope, as above described. lhe hoistingrope, passing down through the ring-staple H, and being attached to the'center of the rope G, keeps the fork from tipping sidewise, and in the right position for elevating and retaining its load. The said rope G, when attached to the corner of the latch or brace E, causes the fork when relieved from its load to take its natural position to be secured by the latch.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The peculiar construction and combination of the head A, handle O, latch E,1everspring catch G, and staple H, as and for the purpose herein described.

ELIAS W. SEYMOUR. GEO. W. GREGORY. Witnesses:

J. C. BEEBIE', J. E. SHAPLEY. 

